Orchid bees
Tribe Euglossini
Photo: Tony Shen
Burying beetle
Nicrophorus orbicollis
Photo: Tony Shen
Stingless bees
Tetragonisca angustula
Photo: Tony Shen
Giant mayfly
Hexagenia limbata
Photo: Tony Shen
Rusty patched bumble bee
Bombus affinis
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Goldenrod soldier beetle
Chauliognathus pensylvanicus
Photo: Tony Shen
Colorado potato beetle
Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Photo: Ben Bradford
Common blue damselfly
Enallagma cyathigerum
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Valley carpenter bee
Xylocopa sonorina
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Spongy moth
Lymantria dispar
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Honeybee
Apis mellifera
Photo: Ben Bradford
Mining bee
Andrena sp.
Photo: Ben Bradford
Squash vine borer
Melittia cucurbitae
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Bumblebee mimic robber fly
Laphria thoracica
Photo: Jeremy Hemberger
Welcome to the Department of Entomology!
The Department of Entomology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison is a world-class graduate training and research institution committed to advancing research in insect biology in both basic and applied contexts. We offer MS and Ph.D. degrees in Entomology and two undergraduate majors (Entomology & Global Health). Our faculty and staff members along with our graduate students, postdoctoral associates, affiliated and emeritus professors offer a dynamic and interdisciplinary research and teaching environment to prepare students for a future in entomology.
The Department is housed in Russell Laboratories and makes extensive use of campus greenhouse facilities and the agricultural research stations located throughout the state for research, outreach and educational purposes. Russell Labs houses three departments: Entomology, Forest and Wildlife Ecology, and Plant Pathology. The building is centrally located on the UW-Madison campus making it ideal for collaborative work with other departments.
Values such as inclusion, integrity, community, and respect are an integral part of department culture and official code of conduct.
Quick Links
Department News
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PJ Liesch Quoted in Article on Beekeeping and Pollinator Declines
With pollinators in decline, many folks are becoming interested in beekeeping as a hobby. PJ Liesch of the Insect Diagnostic Lab was quoted in this recent article about beekeeping and pollinator declines in the Stevens Point Journal: https://www.stevenspointjournal.com/story/news/2018/09/20/bees-stevens-point-sisters-request-may-prompt-city-ordinance/1062336002/
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Cooler Temps in the Near Future Should Bring an End to Mosquito Season
While Wisconsin has seen a recent boom of mosquitoes, cooler temperatures in the near future should help bring an end to mosquito season according to Dr. Susan Paskwitz in this recent article: https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/booming-mosquito-population-expected-to-disappear-soon/article_6996da32-e118-58a3-9703-497bce62b62a.html
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Recent Heavy Rains Result in Explosion of “Floodwater” Mosquitoes
Recent heavy rains have resulted in an explosion of “floodwater” mosquitoes in many parts of Wisconsin, as Mosquito expert Susan Paskewitz describes in this recent story by the Janesville GazetteXtra: https://www.gazettextra.com/news/local/needle-nosed-pests-breeding-in-local-puddles/article_7ed32e82-687a-5cba-81c4-834a86def683.html
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Tiny Chinch Bug Played a Role in Wisconsin’s Journey to Become the Dairy State
While Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland”, that wasn’t always the case. Insect Diagnostician, PJ Liesch, recently published an article with Wiscontext telling the story of how the tiny chinch bug played a role in Wisconsin’s journey to become the Dairy State: https://www.wpr.org/wiscontext-how-tiny-insect-set-stage-wisconsin-dairy
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Entomology Department Projects at the UW Arboretum
The University of Wisconsin Arboretum has a strong legacy of research, including many projects conducted by past and present members of the entomology department, including Dr. Karen Oberhauser and Dr. Susan Paskewitz as described in this recent piece from the Wisconsin State Farmer: https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2018/08/17/living-legacy-research-uw-arboretum/1025737002/
Meaningful Research
Advancing research in insect biology in both basic and applied contexts.
Top-notch Instruction
Interdisciplinary instruction to inform students, collaborators, and the community.
Far-reaching Impact
Embodying the Wisconsin Idea, making the boundaries of our work the boundaries of the Wisconsin and beyond.
Vision
We focus on high-impact science that leverages our collective expertise on arthropod biology to solve problems in agriculture, the environment, and human health.